Reflex signal



May l2, 1936. c. H. LARsoN y 2,040,317

` REFLEX SIGNAL Filed oct. 31, 1952 2 sheets-sheet 1 l 7j f: 1,3@ 15 l? jg l2 Q0 C22/ lcm 40 mJ-QQWQ May 12, 1936.

cgi-l` LARsoN 2,040,317

REFLEX SIGNAL Filed Oct. 31', 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 lu/eww; fa/d 15.7 W501i Patented May 12, 1936 UNITED STATES REFLEX SIGNAL Carl H. Larson, Elkhart, Ind., assignor to The Adlake Company, Elkhart, Ind., a corporation of Illinois Application October 31, 1932, Serial No. 640,442

5 Claims.

This invention relates to signs including a plurality of reflecting units arranged in the form of letters or symbols to give a warning, or other information.

The principal objects of the invention are to provide an improved frame construction and a special mounting for the reflecting units in the frame that will facilitate the original assemblyA and the replacement of broken units.

The accompanying drawings show the invention embodied in a railway crossing sign.

Fig. l is a front elevation of such a sign;

Figs. 2 and 3 are transverse sections taken on the lines 2-2 and 3-3, respectively, of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view illustrating how a reflecting 4unit is mounted on the face plate;

back plate.

But these drawings and the corresponding specie description are used for the purpose of illustration and disclosure only, and are not intended to impose limitations on the claims.

Each arm I and II of thecrossing signal is composed of a channeled back plate I2 having marginal flanges I3 directed forwardly, and a channeled face plate I4 having marginal flanges I5 directed rearwardly and telescoping with, or overlapping, the flanges I3. A plurality of internally threaded nipples I6 are riveted to the back plate at II and receive screws I8 with special heads which secure the face plate on the back plate. The special heads are necessary to prevent theft of the reflecting units.

The face plate has letters I9 embossed thereon and each embossed portion is provided with a plurality of openings to expose the lens portion 2| of reflecting units. 'I'he reflecting units are well known articles of commerce and are available in several forms. Generally speaking, they comprise a body of glass 26 having a depressed reilecting surface 22 protected by cement 23 at the back. Towards the front the body is reduced and extended in slightly conical form, as indicated at 24, and terminates in a globular lens surface 2|. Reference may be had to the Reeves Patents, No. 1,725,766 and No. 1,794,867, for detailed disclosure of particular forms.

` In the preferred embodiment the face plate is provided with a holder for each reflecting unit by which it is held in proper position on the face plate, as best shown in Figs. 4 and 5. Each holder comprises a cup-like body 25 of sheet steel, brass, copper, or the like, lined with a ring of relatively soft or yielding material such as wool felt, rag felt, cork or rubber, having internal dimensions less than the external dimensions of the reilecting units so that when the latter have been pressed into the position shown in Fig. 4, they will be firmly but removably held in place.

Felt, cork, rubber and the like have sufficient resiliency to properly grip the units and a sufficiently high coefficient of friction to make the hold secure without danger of injury to the reflecting unit. In order to assist in more securely holding the units in the holder, the body portion of each reflecting unit may be and preferably is slightly tapered toward each end as shown in Figs. 4 and 6, whereby the felt within the holder will more securely temporarily hold the units in position after the plates are separated.

The bottom 21 of each cup-like body is punched centrally to extend through one of the openings in the face plate I4 and is then turned back against the face plate, as indicated at 28, to make the holder fast.

When, for any reason it is desired to replace one or more of the reflecting units, the face plate can be removed, as indicated in Fig. 5, thereby exposing all of the reflector units in their proper assembled position on the face plate, and each unit that is to be replaced can be readily detached from the holder and the new one inserted.

In Fig. 6 the cup-like body of the holder 34 is shown solid and spot-welded to the back plate I2. This embodiment permits the units to remain' in position on the back plate when the face plate is removed, a condition that some customers desire. But proper register with the openings in the front plate is not so easy as when the holders are secured to the front plate.

A great variety of holder constructions and ways of securing them to the plates will readily occur to the mechanic and need not be shown, or

described.

In a crossing signal one arm must, of course,

cross the other, and `in order to get them in ap- A heavy reenforcing plate 30 overlaps the crossing of the -two arms and is riveted 'to the back plates at 3l. This plate restores the strength lost by removing the flanges I3 and also provides resistance against warping by the bolts 32 used to fasten the rail clamps 33 by which the whole sign is mounted upon an upright length of rail 34. A strip 40 of felt, cork, rubber, or the like, cemented to the back I2 (Figs. 3 and 4) will allow for manufacturing tolerance and provide a cushion for the reecting units that reduce breakage. A disk 4| oi like, material in each holder 34 (Fig. 6) will give similar results in that form.

I claim as my invention:

-1. In a reiiecting sign, a pair of channeled back plates extending across each other with their flanges extending forwardly, the flanges of the rearmost plate having their central portionsv removed for forming a notch for receiving the foremost back plate, front channeled plates telescoping the flanges of the rear plates, means including a reinforcing plate extending across the intersection of said plates for rigidly securing said plates together, said front plates being provided with openings therein, sockets of a diameter greater than said openings rigidly secured to one of said plates rearwardly of said openings, reiiector units within said sockets, each having a reduced portion extending through a corresponding opening and having shoulders for limiting the forward movement of said unit, yielding material engaging the rear end of each unit and encircling the same, said first-named means forcing said units into said sockets thereby compressing said material engaging the rear of said units for irmly securing the units in position.

2. In a reecting sign, a back plate, a removable front plate having openings, a hollow holder projecting inwardly from the face plate adjacent to each opening, each of said holders being open at both ends, a yielding frictional lining for each holder, a strip of yielding material between each holder and said back plate, a reecting unit supported within the lining and seated adjacent said strip and having a lens portion exposed through the opening, said unit having an enlarged portion between said plates.

3. In a reecting sign, a front plate, a rear plate, one of said plates being removable from the other, said front plate havingv openings therethrough, a socket' member in year of each of said ope ings, said socket members being rigidly secured to one of said plates, a reflecting unit clamped between said plates each having a body portion seated in said socket and a reduced portion extending through the corresponding opening, said body portion being enlarged between its ends, and cushioning material extending around said body portion and across the end thereof for resiliently supporting said units within said sockets and cushioning them against impacts and for frictionally retaining the same within said sockets when the plates are separated.

4. In a reecting sign, a channeled back plate having the intermediate portions of its anges removed, a second channeled back plate crossing the first between the remaining portions of its iianges, channeled face plates telescoping said back plates, means for rigidly securingsaid plates together, said face plates having a plurality of openings therethrough for the exposure of refleeting units, a separate holder for each opening rigidly connected to one of said plates for supporting reecting units opposite said openings, said holders each being sufciently large to 'receive onenof said units together with yielding material around the unit for removably retaining the same Within said holder when said plates are separated, a reinforcing plate overlapping the crossed portion of the .two back plates, and supporting means for the sign secured to the reinforcing plate.

5. In a reflecting sign, a back plate, a front plate having a plurality of openings therethrough, a plurality of reflecting units each provided with a lens portion and a body portion, said body portion decreasing in cross-sectional area toward each end of said unit, an open ended tubular retainingmember foreach unit rigidly secured to one of said plates for containing said units, means for detachably connecting said plates' together for holding said units with said lens exposed through said openings, and an annular felt member surrounding the body portion of each unit and compressed between said body portion and the inner periphery of said member for frictionally holding said unit in position within said retaining member when said plate members are separated.

CARL H. LARSON. 

